Tobacco elevator



J. A. KlZlS TOBACCO ELEVATOR Feb. 23, 1954 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 1'7, 1952 kiwi-W701? JOSE/ H4- 672/6 lpyw Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES TOBACCO ELEVATOR Joseph A. Kizis, South Windsor, Conn.

Application September 17, 1952, Serial No. 310,098

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in loading hoists or elevators and more specifically, to an improved construction which is particularly adapted as a tobacco elevator for use in drying or curing sheds.

When tobacco is harvested, the leaves are cured in sheds constructed for that purpose. In order to permit proper air circulation among the leaves, the tobacco is cut in stalks and about six or seven such stalks are suspended over a stick or lath which is supported across rafters within the shed. The tobacco laths are arranged in closely spaced parallel relation across the rafters and the rafters are arranged in tiers to Substantially the top of the shed so that the shed will hold as much to-- bacco as possible.

It is common practice to hang the tobacco laths manually. That is, one Worker will hand a lath of tobacco to another worker in the lowermost tier who will pass it on up to another worker who will pass it along until the lath reaches the Worker in the uppermost tier who then places the lath on rafters. To fill the upper tier in most sheds, the services of four workers are required and the work is time consuming and costly due to the labor involved. Additional costs are encountered due to waste, because the tobacco is frequently damaged as the laths are passed from hand to hand.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an efiicient, heavy-duty, labor-saving elevator for lifting tobacco laths into the upper tiers of drying sheds and which will do so without damaging the tobacco.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elevator having the foregoin characteristics and which can be readily adjusted so as to elevate or hoist the tobacco to preselected heights.

A further object of the invention is to provide an elevator of the aforedescribed type which can be easily moved from one location to another within a shed and can be easily transported from shed to shed.

A still further object is to provide a tobacco elevator which in addition to having the foregoing characteristics, has simple and easily operable controls so that a worker assigned to operate the elevator will also have suiiicient time to load the same.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed descrip tion of the annexed drawings which, by way of preferred example only, illustrate one embodiment of the invention.

iIh iENT OFFICE In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front ele ational view of a tobacco elevator constructed in accordance with the present invention;

2 is a foreshortened side view of the elevator;

3 is a rear view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary rear view, showing the elevator extended;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail cross sectional view taken as indicated by line 5-5 in Fig. 2; and

6 is an enlargeddetail view taken as indicated by line 6% in Fig. 5.

In accordance with the present invention, the movable components of the elevator are supported by a frame it which is secured in a substantially vertical position as by brackets i2, 2 to a plat iorm I l. The platform is supported upon Wheels 56, I6 and a caster I8 and is provided with a pair of handles it so as to be readily movable from place to place.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the elevatin mechanism is hydraulically operated. The hydraulic system employed includes a reservoir 22 and a conventional pump 24. The pump 24 i driven by a conventional gasoline engine 26 (shown only diagrammatically) to withdraw the hydraulic fluid (preferably oil) from the reservoir 22 through the line 28. The pump discharges the fluid into a supply line it leading to an elonated cylinder 32. A. discharge line 34 interconnects the cylinder 32 and reservoir 22 to return the fluid to the reservoir and thus complete the system. When needed, additional fluid can be supplied to the system through a filler pipe 36 which also vents the reservoir to th atmosphere.

The means for controlling fluid flow within the aioredescribed system so as toselectively raise and lower a piston within the cylinder 32 comprise a control valve iii in the cylinder discharge line 35 and a stop valve 42 in the cylinder supply line it. The control valve at has a manually operable handle it for setting said valve in open or closed condition. When the valve All is closed, the hydraulic fluid cannot be discharged from the cylinder into the reservoir and the fluid within the cylinder forces the piston 38 upwardly therein under pump pressure. To facilitate or speed up piston elevation, a rod 45 interconnects the valve handle it and the throttle of the engine and is arranged to accelerate the engine and thus increase pumping pressure or fluid flow when the control valve it is closed.

The stop valve it is utilized to limit movement of the piston 38 to preselected elevations. The

means for operating said valve comprise an operating arm 48 to which one end or a rope B is attached with the other end of the rope secured to that portion of the piston 38 which projects through the cylinder 32. When the piston is elevated, the rope is drawn taut and moves the arm 48 to effect closing of the valve 42. It will be understood that the valve 22 can be closed at preselected elevations of the piston by adjustin the efiective length of the rope. It will also be understood that other means such as a chain, can be substituted for the rope with equal effect.

When the valve 42 has been closed in the aforedescribed manner, fluid can no longer be pumped into the cylinder to cause further elevation of the piston. However, the piston will remain in elevated position because hydraulic fluid will be trapped under pressure in the cylindersince both valves 40 and 42 are closed to the flow of fluid. The pump 24 will continue to be driven by the engine and to avoid undesirable wear or damage to the pump or engine, the pump selected for use in the system is preferably one having a conventional by-pass.

When it is desired to lower the piston into the cylinder, the operator opens control valve 40 thereby permitting discharge of fluid from the cylinder into the reservoir. The weight of the piston will force the fluid from the cylinder. To assure rapid lowering of the piston, a vent tube 52 interconnects the upper part of the cylinder and the reservoir which is vented to the atmosphere whereby no partial vacuum will form in the cylinder to resist downward movement of the piston.

When the piston approaches the fully retracted position, means carried thereby (which means will be described hereinafter) engages an actuating rod 54 which is movably supported in a generally vertical position by the frame It and which is connected at its lower end to the operating arm 48 on the valve 42. When the rod E l is engaged and thrust downwardly, the operating arm is is shifted to open the valve 22. At such time, the valves 43 and 42 will both be open, and fluid flows through the system under reduced pressure without causing any movement of the piston 38.

Turning now more specifically to the elevating mechanism, it will be noted that the elongated cylinder 32 is in the form of a pipe secured to the frame it as by straps 55 56 in a substantially vertical position. The lower portion of the cylinder extends beneath the platform it where it is interconnected by means of a T-shaped pipe fitting 58 to the inlet and discharge lines 35 and 34. The said T fitting rests upon a U-shaped bracket 69 depending from the platform M.

The piston 33 is, of course, slidably received by the cylinder and, as previously mentioned, the upper portion of the piston extends beyond the cylinder. The said piston is preferably in the form of a pipe having its lower end closed and which, at its upper end. detachably receives a rod or pipe =62 which, in effect, comprises an extension of the piston. A carrier {it is secured to the piston adjacent the upper end thereof and a generally similar carrier 65 is secured to the extension '62 adjacent the upper end thereof. As will be described in detail hereinafter, the said carriers 64 and t6 carry the tobacco laths upwardly when the piston is elevated.

To accommodate vertical movements of the piston 38 and its extension t2, the fram is adapted to secure a channel member 68 which provides a track for guiding and supporting the piston. The adaptations of the frame and the construction of the channel member can be fully understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 5 wherein the frame is shown to comprise a back piece it and two side pieces l2, l2 fitted together to define a groove M which adjustably receives the channel member 68. The side pieces 72, 72 are provided with a plurality of spaced apart registering apertures l5, '16 adapted to receive a pin 18 which fits from side-to-side through the channel member 68 to secure the same within the groove 74 in adjusted vertical positions. It will be noted that a considerable portion of the channel member 63 extends above the frame it. This portion of the said member is supported by a block 89, generally similar in cross sectional configuration to the frame ill. The block 86 is fixed to the channel member and supported above and in spaced relation to the frame l3 upon a pair of straps 82, 82 which are vertically adjustably secured to the side pieces l2, 12 as by pins 84, 8t

tted through holes 86, 8G in the said side pieces.

As best shown in Fig. 5, the piston 33 is supported by the channel member 63 on a bracket 88 which is welded or otherwise fixed to the piston and which has two arms 90, 9!} extending into vertical slots 92, 92 provided in the channel member. Each arm 80 rotatably supports a roller 94 which rides within one of a pair of vertical chan nels S6, 96 defined within the member 68. The front faces of the said channels are closed so that the rollers can only be removed from the channels by movement of the rollers through the upper endof the channel member. Adjacent said upper end of the channel member, a bolt or pin 93 is provided to prevent inadvertent movement of the rollers beyond the track, the pin '98 serving as an emergency stop to limit elevation of the piston.

Returning now to the carriers 64 and 66, it will be noted that each includes a U-shaped member having a. pair of relatively short arms I00, I00 separated by an elongated yoke "32. As shown. in Figs. 5 and 6, the yoke of each carrier has a pair of lugs 104 which are pivotally supported on a bracket 156 as by a pin 08. In the lower carrier 64, the bracket "i6 is fixed to the roller. bracket arms and in the upper carrier 68, the bracket N35 is fixed to the piston extension 52 in any convenient manner. As shown in Fig. 6, the yoke I02 and arms I90, I65 are arranged to pivot upwardly on the bracket 1 t8 froma substantially horizontal position, but stop means Hll defined on the bracket Hi5 and engageable with the yoke I02 prevent pivoting of the yoke and arms beneath horizontal position.

There is also provided in accordance with the present invention a lower holder H2, used for loading purposes as will be explained, and an upper holder I M. The lower holder H2 is a onepiece U-shaped member having arms H6, H5 which extend parallel to the arms I00, 409 on the carrier 84 but which are spaced outwardly therefrom as shown. The said holder H2 is fixed to the frame In and cannot be pivoted. The upper holder I I4 is generally similar to the lower holder, having arms parallel to and spaced outwardly from the carrier: arms. The upper holder H4 differs from the lower holder in that it is arranged to pivot upwardly relative to a bracket H8 secured to the block 80.

Each of the carrier arms and each of the holder arms is provided with a notch 620 in its upper edge adjacent its extending end. All of the said notches I28, 123 are arranged in the same vertical plane when the arms are horizontally disposed as shown in Figs. 1-4. The arms of each carrier and holder are spaced apart less than the length of a tobacco lath L which is used to support the tobacco stalks T in the manner previously described. Accordingly, either carrier or either holder will support a tobacco lathL and the tobacco T as shown in the various figures of the drawings.

The operative cycle of the aforedescribed tobacco elevator is started after a lath L has been placed on the loweror fixed'holder H2 in the manner shown in Figs. 1-3, 1. e., the end portions of the lath are placed within the notches 126, I29 in the holder arms H5, Hi5. Then the operator closes the control valve 46 thereby accelerating operation of the pump M to elevate the piston 38 to the position shown in Fig. 4, at whichtime the stop valve 32 will be closed by the rope or chain 50 to retain the piston in elevated position. As the piston is elevated in the foregoing manner, the lowercarrier 54 will engage the said lath L within the notches 12s, are in its arms loll, m0 and lift the lath from the loading holder I I2. As shown in Fig. 4, the lower carrier St is raised above the upper holder lid. When being raised, the lath engages the arms of the holder lid and pivots it upwardly, the holder dropping back to horizontal position, as shown, after the carrier [l2 has passed by.

The operator then lowers the piston by opening the control valve 40. When the piston is lowered, the lath which is supported by the lower carrier H2 is engaged within the notches 1120, I20 in the arms of the upper holder H4 and retained thereby as the said carrier passes downwardly. In the meantime, the operator may have placed another lath L in the lower or loading holder H2 and the lower carrier will be pivoted thereby during the downward stroke of the piston until free to drop into horizontal position.

Thereafter, the operator again raises the piston and the lower carrier picks up the last mentioned lath from the lower holder as described above. However, during the second operative cycle, the upper carrier 65 engages the first mentioned lath supported on the upper holder lid and raises it upwardly as shown in Fig. 4. A worker located in the upper tier of the drying shed can remove of operation. In the first stage the tobacco is hoisted from the lower or loading holder by the lower carrier to the upper holder. In the second stage or cycle, the tobacco is hoisted to the upper regions from the upper holder by the upper car rier. However, after the first cycle of operation, a lath of tobacco is hoisted into the upper regions for each operative cycle, because two laths of tobacco are constantly being hoisted, one to the upper holder and another to the upper regions.

In further accord with the invention the stroke of the piston can be adjusted to suit the elevator to operation at various heights. For example, if the elevator is to be used to hoist tobacco to a height less than that shown, the rope 5B is 6 shortened to close'stop valve'42 and thus stop the piston at the chosen elevation. The pin 18 and the pins 84, 84 are pulled from the frame It) and the channel memberlowered as desired whereupon the pins are relocated in their respective holes 16, 16 and 86, 86.

If it is desired to use the elevator at consider-- ably lower elevations, the rope 5B is appropriately shortened and the channel member-G8 and block 80 are lowered until the said block engages the frame l0 and the piston extension 62 isdetached from the piston 38. In such retracted condition, the elevator has only one operative carrier,

, namely, the lower carrier 64; When operated in retracted condition, the worker hanging the tobacco on the raftersshould be prepared to remove the tobacco directly from the lower carrier at each cycle of operation@ When operated in either extended or retracted condition, the piston can be retained in elevated position to give the worker hanging the tobacco sufficient time to remove the tobacco from'the' elevator.

It will be understood that modifications of the described structure can be accomplished without departing from the invention, and therefore, the illustrated and described embodiment should not be construed as limiting the invention except as indicated by the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. An elevator adapted to hoist tobacco or the like when suspended from generally horizontally disposed laths comprising, an elongated upright frame, a rod supported by said frame for moveto elevate said lath to a position above said second holder when said rod is raised, said second holder being arranged to receive said lath from said first carrier when said rod is lowered, and a second carrier secured to the upper portion of said rod and having a plurality of spaced apart extending arms adapted to pivot upwardly and arranged to engage a lath supported by said second holder and to elevate the same when said rod is raised.

2. An elevator adapted to hoist tobacco or the like when suspended from generally horizontally disposed laths comprising an elongated upright frame, a rod supported by said frame for movements therealong, means for raising and lowering said rod, a first holder fixed to the lower portion of said frame and having a plurality of spaced apart extending arms adapted to support a lath, a second holder secured to the upper portion of said frame and having a plurality of spaced apart extending arms adapted to support a lath and arranged to pivot upwardly, a first carrier secured to the lower portion of said rod and having a plurality of spaced apart extending arms adapted to pivot upwardly and arranged to engage a lath supported by said first holder and to elevate said lath above said second holder when said rod is raised, said second holder being arranged to receive said lath from said first carrier when said rod is lowered, and a second carrier secured to the upper portion of said rod and hav- 7: in: a plurality oi spaced-apart extending, arms adapted to pivot upwardly and arranged to engage e lath supported by said second holder and to elevate the same when said rod is raised.

3. An elevator adapted to hoist tobacco or the like when suspended from generally horizontally disposed laths and comprising, an elongated upright frame, a holder adapted to support a lath, means for mounting said holder on said frame in adjusted vertical positions a rod supported by said frame for movements therealong, means for raising and lowering said rod, an upwardly profleeting extension detachably secured to said rod, a first carrier secured to said rod and adapted to elevate a lath to said holder when said rod is raised, and a second carrier secured to said extension and adapted to engage a lath supported by said holder and to elevate the same when said rod is raised.

4. An elevatoradapted to hoist tobacco or the like whensuspended from generally horizontally disposed laths andcomprising, an elongated upright frame a holderadapted to support a lath, means for mounting said holder on said frame in adjusted vertical positi ns. a chann l member defining a track, means for vertically adiustably mounting said channel member on said frame, an upright rod having roller means en ageable in said channel member means for raising and lowering said rod, an upwardly projecting extension detachably secured to said rod, a first carrier secured to said rod and adapted to elevate a lath to said holder when said rod is raised, and a second carrier secured to said extension and adapted to engage a lath supported by said holder and to elevate the same when said rod is raised,

JOSEPH A. KIZIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,015,553 Gates Jan. 28, 1912 1,843,852 Troy Feb. 2, 1932 2,194,125 Rinehart Mar. 19, 1940 2,548,767 Brest Apr. 10, 1951 2,582,663 Weiss Jan. 15, 1952 

